will you marry me?’
The answer was already there in her face, nakedly clear, but she whispered it anyway.
‘Yes.’ A tiny pause. ‘Thank you, Alejandro.’
Martinez sent up a prayer of thanks.
He thought about Sam, who might still be in the office, working.
His good friend would be happy for him.
Right now, Martinez felt happy enough for all mankind.
Two young guys, laughing as they passed the car, stooped to stare into the Chevy, but he didn’t give a damn, just started the engine, moved the car toward the exit, put out his right hand and laid it on Jess’s knee, felt warmed through as she covered it with her own hand.
‘You know what?’ she said. ‘I think I need to go home.’
‘Sure,’ Martinez said. ‘We can stay at your place, if that’s what you want.’
The fact was, they almost never stayed at Jess’s place up in North Miami Beach because his house was a whole lot more comfortable and more convenient for them both for work, but tonight he could care less where they stayed, so long as they were together.
‘No,’ Jess said. ‘I mean, I think I need to go home alone tonight.’
‘Why?’ Martinez felt a pang of dismay.
She saw his expression. ‘Don’t look like that, Al.’
He’d stopped his car, just inside the exit. ‘You’ve changed your mind.’
‘Never,’ she said. ‘It’s the exact opposite.’
‘So why don’t you want to be with me, tonight of all nights?’
She took a moment, wanting to get the words right.
‘I guess this may be hard for you to understand,’ she said. ‘Because you’re a guy, and you’re a little older, and we both know you’re much more experienced.’
‘I never asked anyone to marry me before,’ Martinez said.
‘And I never had a proposal,’ Jess said.
‘Honest to God?’
‘I wouldn’t lie about it,’ she said earnestly. ‘I feel this is the most important thing that’s ever happened to me in my entire life, and I don’t know why, but it’s made me feel kind of . . . old-fashioned, I guess.’
A horn honked behind them, and checking in his mirror, Martinez saw it was the kids who’d gawped at them earlier, but now he felt less benevolent about them, and if they did that one more time . . .
‘That’s why I want to go home alone,’ Jess went on. ‘Because I want to drink in the fact that the man I’m crazy about has asked me to be his wife. I want to go to bed on my own and think about you and how it’s going to be.’
The car horn sounded again, but Martinez’s aggression had melted away again, and he lifted a hand in apology and drove out on to the street.
‘OK,’ he said to Jess, and knew that it really was, that he hadn’t blown it after all, that it was all going to be better than wonderful.
‘Does that make any sense to you, Al?’ Jess asked.
He glanced sideways at her, saw her looking at him, saw the love in her eyes.
‘All the sense in the world,’ he said.
SIXTEEN
‘ Y ou’re much too tired to drive,’ André told Elizabeth as she was piling her files into her attaché case before leaving. He stifled another big yawn. ‘Me, too, it seems.’
‘I’ll be fine,’ Elizabeth insisted, ‘so long as I go right now.’
‘Or we could just go to sleep and set the alarm early so you can go home then and iron a blouse.’
‘Except I don’t have anything clean to iron.’
André knew when there was no point arguing with Elizabeth, and it was an easy drive to her place, which was in a safe neighbourhood, besides which he had no strength left to argue tonight, felt he was almost drooping with fatigue, so instead he saw her down to her Honda in the parking garage. They had no significant crime issues in this area either, but André liked to think he was a gentleman and anyway, Elizabeth was the most precious person in the world to him.
‘No one like you,’ he told her after a last kiss, leaning against the car.
It was something he said often, and always meant.
‘Nor you,’ she said
The answer was already there in her face, nakedly clear, but she whispered it anyway.
‘Yes.’ A tiny pause. ‘Thank you, Alejandro.’
Martinez sent up a prayer of thanks.
He thought about Sam, who might still be in the office, working.
His good friend would be happy for him.
Right now, Martinez felt happy enough for all mankind.
Two young guys, laughing as they passed the car, stooped to stare into the Chevy, but he didn’t give a damn, just started the engine, moved the car toward the exit, put out his right hand and laid it on Jess’s knee, felt warmed through as she covered it with her own hand.
‘You know what?’ she said. ‘I think I need to go home.’
‘Sure,’ Martinez said. ‘We can stay at your place, if that’s what you want.’
The fact was, they almost never stayed at Jess’s place up in North Miami Beach because his house was a whole lot more comfortable and more convenient for them both for work, but tonight he could care less where they stayed, so long as they were together.
‘No,’ Jess said. ‘I mean, I think I need to go home alone tonight.’
‘Why?’ Martinez felt a pang of dismay.
She saw his expression. ‘Don’t look like that, Al.’
He’d stopped his car, just inside the exit. ‘You’ve changed your mind.’
‘Never,’ she said. ‘It’s the exact opposite.’
‘So why don’t you want to be with me, tonight of all nights?’
She took a moment, wanting to get the words right.
‘I guess this may be hard for you to understand,’ she said. ‘Because you’re a guy, and you’re a little older, and we both know you’re much more experienced.’
‘I never asked anyone to marry me before,’ Martinez said.
‘And I never had a proposal,’ Jess said.
‘Honest to God?’
‘I wouldn’t lie about it,’ she said earnestly. ‘I feel this is the most important thing that’s ever happened to me in my entire life, and I don’t know why, but it’s made me feel kind of . . . old-fashioned, I guess.’
A horn honked behind them, and checking in his mirror, Martinez saw it was the kids who’d gawped at them earlier, but now he felt less benevolent about them, and if they did that one more time . . .
‘That’s why I want to go home alone,’ Jess went on. ‘Because I want to drink in the fact that the man I’m crazy about has asked me to be his wife. I want to go to bed on my own and think about you and how it’s going to be.’
The car horn sounded again, but Martinez’s aggression had melted away again, and he lifted a hand in apology and drove out on to the street.
‘OK,’ he said to Jess, and knew that it really was, that he hadn’t blown it after all, that it was all going to be better than wonderful.
‘Does that make any sense to you, Al?’ Jess asked.
He glanced sideways at her, saw her looking at him, saw the love in her eyes.
‘All the sense in the world,’ he said.
SIXTEEN
‘ Y ou’re much too tired to drive,’ André told Elizabeth as she was piling her files into her attaché case before leaving. He stifled another big yawn. ‘Me, too, it seems.’
‘I’ll be fine,’ Elizabeth insisted, ‘so long as I go right now.’
‘Or we could just go to sleep and set the alarm early so you can go home then and iron a blouse.’
‘Except I don’t have anything clean to iron.’
André knew when there was no point arguing with Elizabeth, and it was an easy drive to her place, which was in a safe neighbourhood, besides which he had no strength left to argue tonight, felt he was almost drooping with fatigue, so instead he saw her down to her Honda in the parking garage. They had no significant crime issues in this area either, but André liked to think he was a gentleman and anyway, Elizabeth was the most precious person in the world to him.
‘No one like you,’ he told her after a last kiss, leaning against the car.
It was something he said often, and always meant.
‘Nor you,’ she said
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